The present invention relates generally to the operation of the living quarters of recreational vehicles. More particularly, it relates to the expunging of the waste tank of the recreational vehicle.
There are a many different types of recreational vehicles, often referred to as xe2x80x9cRVsxe2x80x9d. One type of RV has living quarters that include a toilet, washing and kitchen facilities. The waste products from these are collected in an on-board tank that must be periodically expunged.
The process for expunging the waste tank is relatively straight forward. The RV must stop next to a sewer system access pipe, commonly found at RV parks, where the operator of the RV connects the waste tank via a hose to the access pipe. Then, a valve is opened to allow the waste from the tank to drain by gravity into the sewer system.
The hose is connected permanently to the RV waste tank and stored in a compartment toward the back of the vehicle. The hose is expandable that can be compressed to fit within its compartment, usually in the bumper, or stretched so that it can be inserted into the sewer system.
This operation may be straightforward, but it is also a disagreeable task. RV""s are designed to allow relatively convenient draining of its waste tank and sewer system access pipes are available at convenient locations for RV travelers, but ultimately, the operator of the RV must still undertake the chore of draining the tank. Furthermore, the end of the hose becomes fouled with waste. Odors add to the disagreeable nature of the task.
Thus, there remains a need for improvements in the way the waste tank of an RV is emptied to lessen the disagreeable aspects of this chore.
According to its major aspects and briefly recited, the present invention is a motorized device to extend and retract the waste hose of an RV. The motorized device causes the proximal end of the hose to be extended from the RV so that it can be inserted into the access pipe of a sewer system and will retract it when the waste tank has been emptied. The device is operable either by throwing a switch to activate a motor or pressing a button on a remote control unit.
The use of a motor is an important feature of the present invention. The use of a motor obviates the need to physically pull the hose from its compartment and to push it back into the compartment, which are both disagreeable tasks.
The operation of the motor using a remote control is another feature of the present invention. The use of the remote also allows the RV operator conduct the procedure in part without having to go to a fixed set of controls.
These and other features and their advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art of RV usage and design from a careful reading of the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments, accompanied by the following drawings.